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- Profit = price and shipping collected − fees − production − shipping paid − ads.
- Marketplace and payment fees apply to the price plus the shipping you charge.
- The tool also gives the break-even price and the price for your target margin.
- Advertising cost per sale often decides whether a product earns anything.
How to use the print on demand profit calculator
Enter price and cost
Add your selling price and the production cost your print provider charges.
Add shipping
Enter the shipping you charge the buyer and the shipping you pay the provider.
Add fees and ads
Enter the marketplace fee, payment fee, fixed fees and advertising cost per sale. Use 0 for the marketplace fee on your own store.
Read the results
See profit per sale, margin, break-even price, the price for your target margin and monthly profit.
How print on demand profit is calculated
The buyer pays the price plus shipping. From that, the marketplace and payment processor take percentage fees, your provider takes the production and shipping cost, and advertising takes its share. What remains is profit.
Print on demand formulas
Collected = price + shipping charged
Fees = collected × (marketplace % + payment %) + fixed fees
Profit = collected − fees − production − shipping paid − ads
Margin = profit ÷ collected
Break-even price = (fixed fees + production + shipping paid + ads) ÷ (1 − fee %) − shipping charged
Fee rates differ by platform and country. The defaults are editable examples, and returns, refunds and taxes are not included.
Print on demand profit examples
Example 1: a $29.99 shirt on a marketplace
Price $29.99 plus $4.99 shipping, production $14.50, shipping paid $4.99, fees 6.5% plus 3% plus $0.45, ads $3 per sale.
- Collected from buyer $34.98
- Fees $3.77
- Profit per sale $8.72
- Margin 24.9%
- Break-even price $20.36
- Price for a 30% margin $32.93
- Profit at 50 sales a month $435.85
- Profit per year $5,230
About a quarter of the money collected is profit.
Example 2: the same product with no ads
Same numbers with advertising set to 0.
- Profit per sale $11.72
- Margin 33.5%
The $3 of ads is 26% of the profit before ads.
Example 3: a lower price
The same shirt priced at $19.99.
- Profit per sale -$0.33
A $10 price cut turns a profit into a small loss.
Example 4: your own store
Price $34.99, no shipping charged, marketplace fee 0%, payment 2.9% plus $0.30, other costs as in Example 1.
- Profit per sale $19.18
- Margin 54.8%
Skipping the marketplace fee and free-shipping math raises the margin, but you pay for traffic yourself.
Where a print on demand profit calculator helps
Set your price
Find the lowest price that still earns a profit.
Compare platforms
Test a marketplace against your own store.
Plan ad spend
See how much advertising per sale a product can carry.
Forecast income
Turn profit per sale into monthly and yearly profit.
Production costs come from your print provider and change by product, size and country. Take every fee from your own statements. Related tools: Etsy Profit Calculator, Etsy Fee Calculator and eBay Promoted Listings Calculator.
Print on demand profit calculator FAQ
How do I calculate print on demand profit?
Add the price and shipping you collect, subtract the marketplace and payment fees, then subtract production, shipping paid and ad costs.
What is a good profit margin for print on demand?
It varies by product and channel. Use the target margin option to see the price that reaches the margin you want.
How do I find my break-even price?
Add your fixed fees, production cost, shipping paid and ad cost, divide by one minus the fee percentage, then subtract the shipping you charge.
Do marketplace fees apply to shipping?
On many marketplaces they do. This tool applies the percentage fees to price plus shipping charged, so change the inputs if your platform works differently.
What if I sell on my own store?
Set the marketplace fee to 0 and enter your payment processor fees. Remember that you then pay for traffic yourself.
Are returns and taxes included?
No. Allow for refunds, reprints, sales tax and income tax separately.